By RACHEL SPENCER

NUNS at a family centre who help vulnerable and needy people in Warrington have hit out at yobs who mindlessly trashed their lifeline transit van.

Vandals went into St Joseph's family centre on Museum Street, broke into the nuns' transit van and ripped out the steering wheel then ran from the scene.

The nuns set up the family centre in 1918 to help families, children and people in the town in need of guidance, counselling and support.

Two nuns and 30 volunteers work for the charity, and the van is used to deliver essential furniture to help vulnerable people who are counselled at the centre to settle in their homes.

They were due to make a delivery of furniture to a former homeless person, but they had to put their plans on hold when they discovered the steering wheel had been ripped out and dumped on the passenger seat.

"We are really upset about it," said Sister Mary Whelan who runs the centre. "It's preventing us from responding to a lot of real need that comes to us.

"We were hoping to deliver really urgent furniture to someone who had just found a home after being homeless for some time.

"Supporting family life today is very necessary these days. It's very sad that people can allow themselves to do this kind of thing."

Sister Whelan is appealing to people in Warrington to help her get the van back on the road so the sisters can carry on with their vital work across the town.

They are also asking anyone with spare furniture who would like to donate it to the centre to get in touch. All furniture will be given out to people in Warrington who are in need.

Anyone who can help can contact Sister Whelan on 635448.